Five questions all employers need to ask in marketing interviews

29th August 2019

If you are in the process of recruiting for a marketing role it is important to have the right questions prepared for the candidates. Here are five brilliant questions that can provide you with a varied insight into whether they are going to be the right person for the role, and for your business.

1. What do you think about our marketing efforts?

This is an important question to ask for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it can help you to establish whether the candidate thinks the same way that your business does about marketing, and if they understand your goals. There’s nothing wrong with a candidate saying that they don’t like something that you are doing, as long as they can give a reason why, and suggest something that would be better.

Additionally, this question can be a way to establish whether the candidate is willing to be honest, or if they are happy to say anything to get the job. You will naturally be aware of the weaknesses in your own marketing campaigns – places where you simply haven’t put time or budget in. For example, if you know that your website is out-of-date or in need of redesigning, and a candidate tells you how much they love it, this could be an indicator either that you’re not on the same page, or they lack a critical eye.

2. Describe a time when you overcame a challenge

In an interview it is important not only to get to understand the overview of the candidate – their qualifications and employment history – but also to get down to the specifics. You need to know that your candidate can cite occasions when they have faced something difficult and found a way to manage it.

This can be a great way to get an insight into their character and see how their mind works when they are pushed outside their comfort zone.

3. In the past, how have you measured the effectiveness of your work?

This is crucial. Without an effective way of measuring the quality of the work that you are doing, your marketing efforts are hugely burdened. Measuring effectiveness helps you to more easily plan budgets, understand profitable activities, and maximise the success of the business.

It doesn’t matter what skills and ideas your candidate can bring to the business if they are unable to measure their effect in a meaningful way. If they cannot show that they have measured success in the past, it can be a red flag as for how they would do it in your business.

4. Why are you leaving your current position?

There are many reasons that a candidate might be seeking to leave their current role. Perhaps they are ambitious, and the company could not offer any form of progression for them. Perhaps their old role pushed them in a direction that they aren’t interested in. Or perhaps even they are changing industries entirely, and looking for something fresh and new.

In any case, what you learn here can be an intriguing insight into what is important to the candidate. If they are ambitious it means that they’ll be looking for progression in your business – is that something that you can offer? If their old job was going in the wrong direction, what is it that they want to be doing? And if they are new to the industry, do they have the right skillset or temperament to work in it?

5. What do you like doing outside of work?

Remember that with any position you are recruiting for, it is important to consider how that person will fit in with your current team. It’s good to get an overview of what they are like outside of the office to establish how well they are likely to get on with the rest of the team they will be working in. Hiring people who don’t fit with the team can jeopardise morale.

If you would like help recruiting for a fantastic marketing talent to join your team, please contact the team at Lime Talent today.